Singapore Management University’s Distinguished Education Lecture March 2015

Education for CitizenshipProfessor Lord Alton of Liverpool

www.davidalton.net

How can you expect the birds to sing when their groves are cut down - Thoreau

Singapore is renowned for its meritocracy – but meritocracies must always guard against leaders becoming a detached elite.

Civic education is about a preparation for life, not just for work. 

Sir William Curtis, at the end of the eighteenth century, used the phrase “the three Rs” – reading, writing and arithmetic

Augustine’s “Confessions” noted that

For those first lessons, reading, writing and arithmetic, I thought as great a burden and penalty as any Greek.

Charles Dickens: Hard Times

“Now, what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts; nothing else will ever be of any service to them.” 

Gradgrind creates a world devoid of humanity, compassion, or gentle intellectual inquiry and fails both as a teacher and as a father - seeing his own son becoming a thief.

Confucius: “The Great Learning”:

“The way of great learning consists in manifesting one’s bright virtue, consists in loving the people, consists in stopping in perfect goodness.”  

John Henry Newman’s university would be: “… a seat of wisdom, a light of the world, a minister of the faith, an alma mater of the rising generation. It is this and a great deal more.” Newman listed the intellectual virtues as “good sense, sobriety of thought, reasonableness, candour, self-command and steadfastness of view.”

Education for citizenship would enable young people, in particular, to reach beyond academic attainment alone - to think, enquire, debate and understand how decisions will affect their lives and the future of their nation and the world.

In making “make men without chests”, educators have become the “conditioners”.

“The task of modern education is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts. The right defence against false sentiments is to inculcate just sentiments. By starving the sensibility of our pupils we only make them easier prey to the propagandist when he comes.”

Matthew Arnold"The aim and office of instruction… is to enable a man to know himself and the world… To know himself, a man must know the capabilities and performances of the human spirit… [which is] the value of the humanities… but it is also a vital and formative knowledge to know the world, the laws which govern nature, and man as a part of nature."

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.

Boko Haram

if you want to plant for one season, you should plant a seed; if you want to plant for ten years, you should plant a tree; but if you want to plant for life, you should give a young man or woman an education.

An alternative three Rs:

Respect, Rights and Responsibilities.

“The most important thing is that you have to respect an individual, whether he’s got six Cs or six As and whether he’s a brain surgeon or a dustman. I think we should give him the same respect. If you don’t give respect to your own citizens, I think you condemn them forever.” Chiam See Tong

In 1644 John Milton, in the Areopagitica wrote: “Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience.” But free speech also requires respect.

All freedoms must be tempered by mutual respect – which is why the ridiculing, for instance, of deeply held religious beliefs is disrespectful and invariably becomes inflammatory and offensive. Whipping up hated against minorities or against people who are simply different from you will inevitably disrupt the harmony and good order of society. Equally, imprisoning a young man for expressing on his Facebook site that he does not believe in God is disrespectful and wholly disproportionate.

“where ignorant armies clash by night” – Matthew Arnold: “Dover Beach”

“order that keeps things fast in their place” – Edmund Burke.

“to educate a child you need the whole tribe”

Do we respect one another; do we respect our parents and families; do we respect our civic institutions; do we respect those who are different – perhaps for reasons of race, religion, class, gender or orientation? How do we ensure that vulnerable groups are not made more vulnerable or stigmatised – especially engendering respect for people with disabilities or the elderly?  Do we respect the finite resources entrusted to us?  Do we use them in a sustainable way? Do we respect our environment – from the streets and neighbourhoods where we live to respect for the natural world?  Do we ask what creates respectful and good communities?  

Do we understand the importance of respectful relationships in sustaining society?   How can we strengthen the local and unleash the power of creative citizenship?   How can we use the markets and our economies to re-order priorities, to reduce the sense of alienation, to encourage mutual respect?  Are we going to turn our fire on the weapons of mass consumption, our addiction to hedonism, materialism and affluent barbarism?  

Dr.Seet I Mee : “Life is not just about shoes and mobile phones.”

Do we appreciate the privileges and liberties which we enjoy and how do we create a tolerant, inclusive and respectful civil society.  Edmund Burke once observed: “It is easy to give power, but difficult to give wisdom.” How, then, can a civic education help in cultivating wisdom and virtue?

Rights

1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The 1948 Declaration was born in the in the criminality of twentieth century totalitarianism and the gas chambers of Bergen-Belsen and Auschwitz and atrocities committed here in the East.

“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

Article 18 - An Orphaned Right

The Charter of the United Nations “reaffirmed faith in fundamental human rights, and dignity and worth of the human person.” The Charter required its signatories to promote “universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.”

Dag Hammarskjold said “The UN wasn’t founded to take mankind to paradise but rather to save humanity from hell.”

“The health and strength of a community depends on every citizen’s felling of solidarity with other citizens and on their willingness in the name of this solidarity to shoulder their part of the burdens and responsibilities of the community. The same is, of course, true of humanity as a whole.” 

Responsibilities

Aristotle said we are “social animals” – and interdependent: “not solitary pieces in a game of chequers”.

“the whole glory of virtue is in activity” - Cicero, in “On Duty”

Mary Ann Glendon: Traditions In Turmoil

If we are to educate for citizenship, we need a richer language of responsibilities, duties and obligations – a language which comes with the privilege of sharing in the common life of a nation or community

“by those who are thoroughly imbued with the aspiration toward truth and understanding. …I cannot conceive of a genuine scientist without that profound faith” - Albert Einstein

H. G. Wells, understood what would happen if we fail to appreciate the role of education in fostering a civilised society, where personal civic responsibility is cultivated in each person, insisting that “Maintaining civilisation is a constant race between education and catastrophe”.

A civic education would encourage us to consider the role of individual and corporate philanthropy, the duty to support the widow, the orphan, the disadvantaged. It would encourage us to develop and examine our conscience.

If we were to educate for citizenship we would enshrine the duties of each person: to live peaceably; to participate in civic institutions and the processes of local and national government; to contribute to the resourcing of commonly beneficial institutions; to acquire knowledge and to encourage the pursuit of knowledge in children; to learn respect for the needs of others; to behave ethically; and to appreciate how legitimate rights have been acquired, and to cherish them. 

We would cultivate a respect for customs, laws and institutions which serve the common good and harmony of society; we would cultivate a belief in the supreme importance of the rule of law; we would share our stories and shared histories and memorialise the lives which bequeathed our liberties; and we would cultivate a reverence for the impulses and altruistic outpouring which can accompany the religious faiths which animate billions of people throughout the world.

What are some of the origins of these ideas?

JusticeWisdomTemperanceCourageMagnanimityToleranceMunificencePrudence; andGentleness

These ideas, along with Judaeo-Christian ideals – faith hope and charity - are captured by Thomas Aquinas and continue to inform both religious and secular discourse.

The Golden Rule:  

“What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others”  

“Since you yourself desire standing then help others achieve it; since you yourself desire success then help others attain it.”

“To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.”

“You must be the change you want to see in the world”

An “upright society” begins with the individual – the Holy Quran

1. Dana: liberality, generosity or charity. The giving away of alms to the needy. It is the duty of the king (government) to look after the welfare of his needy subjects. The ideal ruler should give away wealth and property wisely without giving in-to craving and attachment. In other words he should not try to be rich making use of his position.

2. Sila: morality - a high moral character. He must observe at least the Five Precepts, and conduct himself both in private and in public life as to be a shining example to his subjects. This virtue is very important, because, if the ruler adheres to it, strictly, then bribery and corruption, violence and indiscipline would be automatically wiped out in the country.

3. Comfort Pariccaga: Making sacrifices if they are for the good of the people - personal name and fame; even the life if need be. By the grant of gifts etc. the ruler spurs the subjects on to more efficient and more loyal service.

4. Ajjava: Honesty and integrity. He must be absolutely straightforward and must never take recourse to any crooked or doubtful means to achieve his ends. He must be free from fear or favour in the discharge of his duties. At this point, a stanza from ‘Sigalovada Sutta. (Digha-Nikaya), a relevant declaration by the Buddha comes to my mind:"Canda, dose, bhaya, moha - Yo dhammam nativattati. Apurati tassa yaso - Sukkha pakkheva candima")Meaning: If a person maintains justice without being subjected to favoritism, hatred, fear or ignorance, his popularity grows like the waxing moon.

5. Maddava: Kindness or gentleness. A ruler’s uprightness may sometimes require firmness. But this should be tempered with kindness and gentleness. In other words a ruler should not be over - harsh or cruel.

Dasa-Raja-Dhamma: The ‘Ten Royal Virtues’

6. Tapa: Restraint of senses and austerity in habits. Shunning indulgence in sensual pleasures, an ideal monarch keeps his five senses under control. Some rulers may, using their position, flout moral conduct - this is not becoming of a good monarch.7. Akkodha: Non-hatred. The ruler should bear no grudge against anybody. Without harbouring grievances he must act with forbearance and love. At this instance, I am reminded of how a certain royal pupil, an heir to the throne, who had been punished by the teacher for an offence, took revenge by punishing the teacher after he become King! (Jataka Text). Political victimization is also not conducive to proper administration.8. Avihimsa: non-violence. Not only should he refrain from harming anybody but he should also try to promote peace and prevent war, when necessary. He must practice non-violence to the highest possible extent so long as it does not interfere with the firmness expected of an ideal ruler.9. Khanti: Patience and tolerance. Without losing his temper, the ruler should be able to bear up hardships and insults. In any occasion he should be able to conduct himself without giving in-to emotions. He should be able to receive both bouquets and brickbats in the same spirit and with equanimity.10. Avirodha: Non - opposition and non-enmity. The ruler should not oppose the will of the people. He must cultivate the spirit of amity among his subjects. In other words he should rule in harmony with his people.

Dasa-Raja-Dhamma: The ‘Ten Royal Virtues’

Conclusion

If such indispensable civic virtues – which united East and West – are not passed from generation to generation, civic sinews will begin to deteriorate and atrophy. Let me remind you of a few manifestations of our disaggregated and dysfunctional society in the West.

During the height of the 2011 riots in Britain it was sickening to see a bleeding boy, attacked and robbed by those who first appeared to have come to his aid; or the 67-year-old killed because he tried to prevent arson; or the 11-year-old brought before the courts and convicted because, along with thousands of other looters, he exploited the breakdown in law and order.

Three-quarters of a million British children have no contact with their fathers following the breakdown of their parents’ relationships.

In 2014 the Relationships Foundation estimated the economic cost of family breakdown at £46 billion

In 2014 there were 68,840 “looked after” children in care. One in ten children is severely neglected in childhood. In 2013 934,600 youngsters – aged 10-17 – were convicted of a crime.  According to the Children’s Society, 100,000 children run away from home every year. In 2012/13 14,863 children called Childline about suicide. Since it was founded in 1986, it has counselled more than a million children.  More than 140,000 people try to commit suicide every year – many of them young. Suicide accounts for 20 per cent of all deaths among young people aged 15 to 24.

Last year, Samaritans answered 4.6 million calls from people in despair, which is one call every seven seconds. Also last year, 29.4 million anti-depressants were dispensed, which is a 334 % increase since 1985 at a cost to the National Health Service of £338 million.  

An estimated 1 million elderly people do not see a friend or neighbour during an average week; 7 million people are now living alone in Great Britain – entirely unprecedented in our history. 26% of households comprising just one and on present trends by 2016 36% of all homes will be inhabited by a single person.

Many families and communities face indebtedness on an unparalleled scale. Total personal debt in the UK has reached £1.43 trillion – not far short of the level of national debt ($1.47 trillion). Indebtedness on this scale is “intergenerational theft” and is unsustainable. It is also a reflection of our failure to educate for citizenship – both in terms of individual as well as collective responsibility.  

“We are not in politics to ignore people’s worries: we are in politics to deal with them”

Education is not the filling a bucket but the lighting of a fire

Educating for citizenship is not a spectator sport or the preserve of a few well-meaning academics or specialists.

Citizenship awards, “service learning”, community endeavour all have their part to play.

The story of Bian and the precious Jade

A failure to cultivate what I have called the three Rs of Respect, Rights and Responsibilities will disfigure our society, just as Bian, in this tale, was disfigured. By contrast, if we commit ourselves to educate for citizenship we, too, will be rewarded with a beautiful jade. We simply need to commit ourselves to do it.

Singapore Management University’s Distinguished Education Lecture March 2015

Education for CitizenshipProfessor Lord Alton of Liverpool

www.davidalton.net